gates



(No Model.) 6 Sheets-Sheet 1. J. GATES. Steering Apparatus for PerryBoats.

Patented April 5,188].

ITNESSES:

INVENTUR:

- JOHN GATES,

3 l zabllm \f Co.

ATTYE (N9 Model.) 6 Sheets Sheel; 2. J. GATES. t Steering Apparatus forPerry Boats.

No. 239,761 Patented April 5,1881;

IINVENTEVIRI dDHN GATES,

WITNESSES:

ATTYE IILPEI'ERS. F'HQTO-LITHDGRAPHER. WASHINGYON. D O.

,;.(No Model -6Sl1eets-Sheet 4. J. GATES. Steering Apparatus'for FerryBoats..

Patented April 5,188].

N M IH INVEINTDRI I d U H N GATES WITNESSES! B Y Head/Z1- Q ATT'YS (N0Model.) GSheets-Sheet 5;

J. GATES; Steering Apparatus for Perry Boats. No. 239,761 Patented April5,1881.

WITNESSES: INVENTURI J/TJWW JOHN GATE wpm ATTYE.

' UNITED "STATES PATENT OF ICE.

JOHN GATES, or PORTLAND, OREGON.

STEERING APPARATUS FOR FERR Y-BOAT S.

SPECIFICATION forming To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN GATES, of Portland, Multnomah county, and Stateof Oregon,

have invented new and useful Improvements in Steering Apparatus forFerry-Boats; and I dodeclare the following to be a full, clear, andexact description of the same, reference being bad to the accompanyingdrawings,and tothe letters of reference marked thereon.

This invention consists, mainly, in the combination, with a rudder ateach end of the boat and intermediate connecting devices for uniting thetwo together, of actuating mechanism for giving them movement, andmechanism for taking up the slackof the connecting devices, theconstruction being such that the rudders may be moved simultaneously, ifdesired, for the purpose of joint action in steering the boat in anydesired direction.

It consists, further, in certain details of construction, all of whichwill be fully described hereinafter.

In the drawings, Figure 1 represents a plan view of a ferry-boat havingmy improved steering apparatus applied thereto; Fig. 2, a side elevationof the same; Fig. 3, an enlarged View of one of thespecially-constructed turnbuckles; Figs. 4, 5, and 6, enlarged views ofthe quadrant and rudder; Fig. 7, a plan view of a ferry-boat providedwith tillers in place of quadrants;Fig-s=- .and ll enlarged views of thetillers, and Figs. 12 and 13 views illustrating the mechanism foruniting the steering-levers together for simultaneous action. 7

To enable others skilled inthe art to make and use my improved steeringapparatus, I will proceed to describe fully the construction of the sameand the manner of its operation.

X, Fig. 1, represents a common double-ended boat, with a rudder hung inthe usual way at each end of the boat. For convenience the right end ofthe boat in the drawingsis termed the bow, and the left-hand endthestern. I A A represent hydraulic or steam cylinders of any proper.construction, located on each side of the boat, at any proper point inthe line of connection between the steering-wheel and rudder.

a represents a rod upon each side, extending through the cylinder, uponwhich islopart of Ii'etters Patent No. 239,761, dated Application filedJuly 15, 188i). (No model.)

cated a collar,

socket, as shown.

April 5, 1881.

against which the piston pushes whenthe power mechanism is employed tosteer the boat.

a represents a common turn-buckle, into which the front end of i the rodor is screwed, and a Figs. 1 and 3, aspecial turn-buckle or link, nearthe stern of the boat, into which the rear end of the rod is screwed.

a", Fig. 3, represents an axleor arm having rollers a", adapted to runin guides if, as

shown.

(t represents a threaded rod held by the link of turn-buckle a which isprovided with a proper socket for receiving and holding the Wire rope a,leading around the guide-pulley a to the quadrant.

13, Figs. 1, 4, and 5, represents a quadrant strongly pivoted to anyproper point of support in line above the rudder, which is provided atits periphery with the grooves b b, Fig. 5, adapted toreceivefrom eachside the wire rope to", which, being carried about the face of the same,as shown in Fig. 4, is secured at its end by staples or bolts b asshown.

0, Figs. 4 and 5, represents the rudder, and c a bolt united thereto,which is employed to unite the rudder to the quadrant when it is desiredto impart the movement of the latter to the former.

0 represents a spring, located upon the rudder, which, when free to act,forces the bolt upward, so that it engages with a proper opening in thequadrant, as shown.

D, Fig. 6, represents a threaded opening in the floor of the boat, abovethe bend of the bolt when the rudder is in a central position, and d athreaded pin adapted to turn in the When the threaded pin is turnedentirely down in the socket its lower end rests upon the bend of thebolt and holds the latter against the action of spring 0, out of contactwith the quadrant.

F F, Fig. 1, represent ropes leading from the turn-buckle a to the frontsteering-wheel,f.

The partsdescribed constitute a complete apparatus for manipulating thestern rudder by hand, the rod a rendering freely through the cylinderwithout being acted upon in any way.

Gr represents a supply-pipe leading from any proper valve to thecylinder.

Ioo

H, Figs. 1 and 2, represents a lever, which is indirectly connected, aswill be hereinafter described, with valve mechanism for controlling thesupply of water or other fluid to the cylinder. If the lever is actuatedthe stern rudder will be manipulated by power instead of by hand, thepressure supplied to the cylinder by the pipe G giving movement to thepiston, and the piston communicating movement to the collars uponthefrods a a. The mechanism for manipulating the bow-rudder is identicalin construction. The steering mechanism for the bow and stern may beused independently if desired. The two are united for joint operation bymeans of the intermediate rods a",'Fig. 1, extending below theturnbuckles a a, as shown. These rods are provided at one end with aright-hand screwthread, and at the other end with a left-handscrew-thread, and the turn-buckles with which they connect havecorresponding threads, so that the line of connection may be tightenedor loosened by turning these rods in the proper direction. By means ofset-nuts screwed up against the turn-buckles the rods are held in anyposition in which they may be placed. The steering-lever H, in the endof the pilothouse toward thebow of the boat, is connected to thesteering-lever in the end of the pilothouse toward the stern of the boatby a system of rods, which will hereinafter be described.

h, Fig. 12, represents the shaft of the steering-lever, and h aright-angled base-piece forming a solid part of the same.

h h represent pins or bolts having heads If, a bearing portion, 704, ataper portion, If, and a threaded portion, 71/ adapted to receive thenut 7L7. The taper portion of these pins is held in acorrespondingly-formed opening in the base-plate by means of the nuts,as shown.

It represents a base-piece having a hollow column, h".

h represents a plate having below a central pivot-stud adapted to restin the socket of the column, and at two points diagonally opposite toeach other tapering openings, as indicated in dotted lines.

h represents a plate, which is provided at each corner with a taperingopening.

it represents a pin with a taper end above, a shoulder portion, h, abearing portion, h, a taper portion, It, and a threaded portion, h, asshown. The upper end of the pin rests in one of the openings in plateIt, and is strongly riveted to the same. The lower end of the pinextends through the plate h, and is properly secured by a nut, as shown.

h" represents a pin, which is constructed like the pin h, with theexception that the bearing portion h is above the shoulder portion It,and that the latter, instead of being a fixed portion of the pin, isremovable, the same consisting of a loose collar, as shown. This pin issecured to the plates 71. 11. in the same manner as the pin h, but in aposition diagonally opposite to the latter.

h h represent two short pins having taper ends below,which rest in theremainingopenings of the plate h, and are strongly riveted thereto.

It represents the shaft of the opposite steering-lever, having, also, abase-piece, 71. with tapering openings.

it represents a plate similar to the basepiece h, which is provided witha shaft, h", extending downward to a universal joint, by means of whichit is united to the valve-chest, as shown.

h h represent pins, each of which is pro vided with a shoulder portion,71. a bearing portion, W and two taper portions, h, and two threadedportions, h",- but in one pin the shoulder portion is above and thebearing portion below, and in the other the bearing portion is above andthe shoulder portion below. By means of these pins the base-piece h andplate h are strongly united, as shown.

h M represent two parallel rods of similar construction, each of whichis provided ateach end with an eye, as shown. These rods are held at oneend by the pins ha of the base-piece h, and at the other end by the pinsh of the plate h.

h h represent two crossed rods of similar construction, the eyes ofwhich are held at one end by the pins h h", and at the other end by thepins h h.

' The operation of the steering apparatus as i a whole is substantiallyas follows:

When steering by power, the steering-lever in either end of thepilot-house being moved to either side, both rudders will be movedsimultaneously in that direction. This resultis accomplished in thefollowing manner: By the movement of the steering lever the valve,either directly or by the intermediate mechanism described, is moved toone side to open the supply-port to one of the cylinders and theexhaust-port to the other. In consequence of this action the piston ofone of the cylinders is caused to come in contact with the collar of rodon and give the same proper movement in a forward direction. By themovement of this rod the entire line of connection which encircles theboat is actuated, and hence the quadrants of both rudders aresimultaneously moved both in the same direction, in consequence of thecrossing of the ropes at one end. If desired, however, in case offloating ice or drift, the rudder at either end may be. disengaged fromits quadrant and be pinned to the boat, in which case one rudder onlywill be actuated. When steering by power the steeringwheels serve asindexes to show the position of the rudders.

When steering by hand, the throttle-valve is first closed to shut offthe power supply, and this action, by means of the special constructionof the valve, opens a water-way from the cylinders to the exhaust-pipe,so that the cylinders are entirely relieved of pressure. The pistonsthen move to the rear ends of the cylinders and there remain. By usingthe steering-wheels then, the rods a will render Iio through thecylinder without being affected thereby in any way. Both rudders hencewill be moved simultaneously, as before, if properly attached to theirquadrants. The movement of one steering-lever is communicated to theother in the same direction by the system of crossed rods, beforedescribed. If no obstacle intervened between the two levers two simplecrossed rods would answer;but in the boat shown, which. is provided witha central smokestack, the crossed rods are carried at an angle from thebase-piece of [one lever to a central pivoted carrier, from which plateextend parallel rods to the base-pieces of the other lever. I

By turning the shaft of one lever the basepiece rigidly attached theretois moved, and by means of the connecting-rod also the central carrierand the base-piece of the other lever.

By connecting the rudders together in the manner described one is madeto balance the other, and also both acttogether in turning the boat inany desired direction.

By the employment of the quadrant the ropes are kept taut in allpositions of the rudder.

In Fig. 7 is shown a modification of my invention, which will nowbedescribed.

I, Figs. '7 8, and 9, represents a tiller, which may be employed, ifdesired, where there is not sufficient room to use the quadrant.

'i, Fig. 10, represents a removable pin, by means ofwhich the tiller maybe united to the rudder when it is desired to communicate the movements'of the former to the latter.

7; represents a pin, by means of which a rudder may be secured in acentral position when it is disengaged from the tiller.

J, Figs. 8 and 11, represents the tiller-ropes, properly secured to thetiller, as shown in Fig. 11, which extend about proper guide-pulleys oneither side of the boat tothe turn-buckle, Fig. 7, as shown.

j, Fig. 7, represents a rod extending from this turn-buckle to the oneat the opposite end of the boat; and j a rope which is carried about aproper pulley, j to the turn-bucklef, as shown.

j represents a rod extending through the cylinder to the turn-buckle 9'and j j ropes leading to the steeringwheels, as shown.

The general operation of the modified form is substantiallylike that ofthe main construction, previously described-that is, both ruddireotionwhen one steering-lever is moved.

I am aware that it is not new to move simultaneously, by means ofcrossed -ropes, the rudder at each end of the boat to the same side, andtherefore I do not claim this feature; but I am not aware that such asystem is provided upon each side of the boat with mechanism for takingup the slack in the line of connection, and this feature, beingimportant, I do claim.

' Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire tosecure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In combination with steering mechanism, substantially as described,and the line of con- 5s 'ders are moved simultaneously 1n the samenection a, uniting the rudders at each end in" such manner as to movesimultaneously to the same side, mechanism a substantially as de- This"specification signed and witnessed this 16th day of June, 1880.

4 JOHN GATES.

Witnesses:

E. W. CORNELL, T. N. HUGHES.

